


Trust

by stellarumsalve



Series: To the Moon Oneshots [1]
Category: To the Moon Series (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cute, F/M, Happy Ending, Oneshot, Sappy, Stargazing, Trust Issues, gaahhh i just lvoe them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:21:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24764554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarumsalve/pseuds/stellarumsalve
Summary: Drs. Eva Rosalene and Neil Watts drive home from a long, stressful night shift. Neil has something to say, but stops himself. This time, Eva refuses to let it slide.
Relationships: Eva Rosalene/Neil Watts
Series: To the Moon Oneshots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813657
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	Trust

“Eva,” Neil Watts drummed his fingers on the passenger side’s armrest. The rain streaked across the window like little shooting stars. That’s what he thought of them as a kid, at least. He was watching them intently, looking anywhere but the person beside him. Part of him didn’t want her to acknowledge it. The other did. He sat in an anxious limbo, but his face didn’t show it. He resorted to adjusting his glasses. The reflection came in handy most of the time, for avoiding his feelings like this. He continued to stare at the raindrops outside.

“Yes?” came the reply, calm and steady, like nothing was wrong. Dr. Eva Rosalene was never one for anxiety. She had the patience of the ocean, and her face reflected it. She kept her eyes on the road. The rain didn’t faze her, nor did her partner’s obvious discomfort. Something was bothering him. But she had always trusted that he would tell her if it was really that bad. And most of the time, she supposed it wasn’t. Neil tended to brush things under the rug, but she also trusted that it was things he could handle himself. She hoped.

The flow of the highway began to slow down. Traffic. Eva sighed, taking her hands off the wheel for a bit as the car came to a stop. She glanced at the digital clock. 11:49 P.M. It had been silent for approximately 32 minutes in this car. There wasn’t really much to say. It was just another late night. They’d skipped lunch, and only had a bit of coffee before they left the client’s house. Well, to put it more precisely, Neil had skipped lunch and took nothing from the house. Eva had gone to a local burger shop and offered some fries to him, but he refused. She tried arguing him on it for a while, but he only gave her half-hearted smirks in return. And the coffee... well, Eva filled her little thermost with some, courtesy of the family, and Neil requested soda. Three cans of it. He had chugged them down like they were nothing as soon as he got them. Promptly following that, Eva apologized and they left quickly. Between the standstill traffic and the events of the day, she had almost forgotten that Neil was saying something to her.

“Do you think... I’m...” his voice trailed off. It was a half-assed whisper to begin with. Eva barely heard him. _Nevermind. Hey. You say it all the time. Forget about it. Just forget I said anything, please. C’mon._ Neil turned his head a little to see his partner. Was she anxious too? Upset? Angry? He thought about how he kept refusing her help today. How his stomach complained with nothing but flat coke in it. How he left her behind in every memory because he had to take a pill before she saw it. How his hands were shaking before they even entered the machine and how terribly he kept lying to her. 

Eva’s hands were in her lap, but she was still looking straight ahead. _Maybe she didn’t hear me,_ Neil thought. _It would be for the best, right?_ The red lights of the stopped cars appeared hazy in the rain. It blurred everything, even the dashboard in front of him. He could almost feel the rain on his skin, in his eyes, rolling down his cheeks—

Oh. He was crying. Shit. Neil blinked several times and inconspicuously pushed up his glasses. His gloved hands trembled as he did. His stomach churned in both anxiety and hunger. _This is so stupid. Just drop it, Eva._

“Do I think you’re what, Neil?” Eva said, her eyes staring at the car in front of her. It sounded more like a statement than a question. She could see in her periphery the slightly shaking figure of her partner. _He looks thinner, doesn’t he?_ The pity swelled in her throat, but she swallowed it down. Eva reminded herself that he would tell her if he needed help. Even if it needed some prodding.

“Did I say something?”

“You tell me.”

“Guess.”

“Really, Neil.”

“I’m waiting for a guess, Doctor.”

“...”

“...”

“...Well, I thought I heard you ask—“

“Wrong! The correct answer is: I didn’t say a thing!” Neil crossed his arms triumphantly and turned to see Eva’s reaction. His mouth was formed into a prideful little grin. “Geez, maybe you should get your hearing checked, Eva,” he chuckled, looking away again. The grin faded as quickly as it came. 

She sighed. This again. Again with the second guessing and the joking and the fakeness of it all. In the past, Eva would usually pass it off with a curt, ‘Nevermind,’ and move on. Neil would oblige and forget as well. But sometimes, she would notice that he remained bothered, despite agreeing with her. She saw how upset he got, how his attitude changed, how he gradually stopped making light of situations. A part of her felt irritated, offended even, that Neil couldn’t fess up the truth to his own partner. But the ever-patient, trusting side of her was sure that he would tell her how he felt eventually. As time passed, that little part of her continued to nag and nag. When would ‘eventually’ come? Eva just wanted to know what was wrong, even if she couldn’t fix it. Maybe it would help him, if only a little bit.

At 12:10 A.M., the nagging side of her won.

“Neil. I know you said something.” The words cut through the tense air. She had put the car into park at this point. Her dark eyes slowly made their way to Neil’s reflective glasses. _Moron. I wonder if he’s even looking at me through those._ Her gaze was stony, and a little colder than she wanted it to be. Neil froze in place. “I need you to trust me. We’re partners. There’s no way we can work together unless we trust each other.”

Neil huffed, “I didn’t say anything, Eva—“

“Oh come on! I heard you, even if it was under your breath. What, did you not want me to hear it or something?” Her voice rose a little. Despite being so close, despite being his partner, she felt like her words couldn’t reach him, even here. His glasses reflected the impatience in her face.

“No, I... Well, I just—I,” Neil fumbled with his words. _Idiot. You shouldn’t have said anything. What a grade A prick you are._ He felt the warmth rush to his cheeks as Eva glared past his lenses. He also felt a certain pressure between his eyes, one that heralded tears. A new spike of fear emerged in his chest. _Great. Eye contact always makes everything better, huh?_ Instinctively, Neil reached to adjust his glasses again, but his shaking hands caused them to fall to the floor instead. His bare green eyes were looking directly at his partner. He searched for an escape immediately. “I’m sorry, I—I didn’t mean to, just forget about it, please...”

It had been a while since Eva had seen his eyes. She’d almost forgotten what they looked like. They weren’t remarkable in the slightest; moss green with some yellow here and there. But they were wet with tears. The dark circles beneath them were heavy with fatigue. She watched silently as he bent down to pick up his glasses. She didn’t stop him as he put them back on. She simply observed the way his body stretched, how despite its slenderness, it lacked any grace and flexibility. He appeared more frame than body, sticks held together by sheer willpower and caffeine. His black gloves covered up the hands she was sure were covered in little injuries. Everything about Neil was veiled, now that she thought about it. Hidden behind glasses, gloves, lab coats, jokes, smiles. The anger had disappeared from her face. Now all that was left was the pity scratching its way up her throat.

Neil swallowed his anxiety down. “Really, E-Eva, I’m sorry. I should have just told you, so... so please,” he bit his lip. “please... don’t be mad at—“

Eva pulled him in tightly for an embrace. She felt a rustle beneath her, then heard the familiar _click-clack_ of glasses folding. Then the unfamiliar sensation of tears spreading across her coat. She rested her head on his shoulder and rubbed his back slowly, like her mother used to do to her. Neil’s thin body racked with sobs. Eva shushed him gently.

“Hey, it’s ok. Please... don’t cry anymore.”

“Can’t really d-do anything about that one.” Eva rolled her eyes a little.

“I know. Just trying to make you feel better.”

“‘Preciate it.”

Another silence fell over them. This time, it was soft. Like a blanket that could protect them. The wet tears on Eva’s coat began to cool.

“You don’t have to tell me what you were going to say.”

“...”

“I trust you, Neil. You’re my partner. Oh cucumbers, you’re my _friend_. So you don’t have to hide everything from me all the time.” Eva smiled a little. They were childhood friends, though Neil rarely told anyone. He usually made the excuse that Rob would poke fun at him if he found out. Maybe he was just embarassed to admit it.

After a little more silence, Neil mumbled into Eva’s coat sleeve, “Do you think I’m a bad person?” He felt the arms around him tighten a little. A few more tears escaped from his eyes.

“No, of course not,” Eva whispered. “Of course not. You do great things for people every day. You help people. _We_ help people. Isn’t that a good thing?”

No response. 

“Neil?” Eva pulled back to see that he had fallen asleep, his face still a bit damp. She wasn’t sure if he’d even heard her reply. She sighed and placed him carefully back into his seat. He stirred a little, but didn’t wake up. She set his folded glasses in the cup holder between them. Eva looked around. The cars in front of her began to move again. The digital clock read 12:31 A.M. The rain had cleared. The sky was lit up by a full moon. Without a second thought, Eva took out her phone and routed the GPS away from Sigcorp. She pulled off the highway as her partner slept soundly beside her.

* * *

Neil awoke to the bumping of an uneven road and the sound of gravel hitting the windshield. He looked out his window and saw nothing but blurry shadows. His glasses were still off.

“Wh-whoa, Eva, what the he—“

“Don’t worry about it, we’re almost there,” she said quickly. “You wouldn’t wanna distract me while we’re driving on this road, would you?”

“Come to think of it,” Neil replied, “No, I wouldn’t. Unless you forgot about my fear of heights, I’m pretty sure we’re on an incline, right?” He fumbled around with his hands until he found his glasses in the cup holder, and put them back on.

“Right.”

“On a very narrow dirt road?”

“Correct.”

“And this definitely isn’t the way back to the building.”

“Nope.”

“So then—“

“Just sit still for a little longer, okay?” Eva smiled. “Trust me.”

Neil glanced over at his partner. She had that look in her eyes, the one that said, ‘I have a great idea.’ He was pretty partial to that look. It suited her. He sighed. 

“Well, if you were finally going to fulfill your plan to murder me in the woods, you could have just told me.”

“Hush, you. It’s just around the bend here... I think... Keep your eyes open.”

“Aye aye, cap’n.”

Neil continued to look out the window. Trees, trees, trees. He caught small glimpses of the night sky here and there. He hadn’t noticed it earlier, but he saw that it wasn’t raining anymore. Trees, trees, more trees... then suddenly, _an explosion of stars._ Thousands, millions of them, those little lighthouses stuck at the far end of the sky. They stopped near the edge of a cliff, but Neil hardly noticed. There were no clouds at all, and the moon glowed so gently. He could just barely make out the ears and the feet of the rabbit. It was beautiful. Eva parked the car and pulled open the hood covering. 

“Well?” She stepped on the driver’s seat and hoisted herself up.

“Well, what?” Neil pouted at the scuffs she left on the headrest.

“Aren’t you gonna come stargaze with me?”

Neil looked up at her. She was offering a hand. He grinned and took it silently.

As they settled on top of the car, Neil’s eyes widened. Suddenly, he was a little kid again, stargazing in the middle of the night even when his mother had told him to go to bed. Even without the telescope, he felt fine. Sitting here with Eva was enough. The pinpricks of light flickered and twinkled and danced. He’d always loved the stars more than the sun, preferred the blanket of night to the light of day. If everyone was awake during the day to bask in the sun, who would be there to appreciate the moonlight? The constellations? Neil was more than content with taking that job, even if it came with the requirements of caffeine and painkillers. He turned to his partner to start a witty sentence, but stopped himself.

Eva was looking up at the sky, enamored. Her long black hair was being tossed lightly by the night breeze. Her face was relaxed, smooth. Her figure looked gentle and inviting, comforting and soft. Neil was enamored, too. 

“Do you see the rabbit?” Eva asked, still looking at the stars.

“Uh, duh. It’s pretty easy to pick out.”

“...I don’t see it,” she muttered, squinting a little. There were so many stars, she couldn’t make out which ones were supposed to be the head or the ears or the feet.

“Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously, Neil.”

“It’s, like... right there.” He pointed vaguely at the moon.

Eva facepalmed. “That doesn’t really help.”

“No no, look,” he said in a hushed tone, as if he was talking to a child. “See, above the moon there’s its little head... And sticking straight up from it are the ears...” Neil scooted a little closer to Eva, gesturing at the stars. The rabbit gradually became visible to her. She snorted a little. 

“What are you, a constellations expert now?”

“Shut up, I’m trying to help,” he smirked. “And then below the moon are its tiny feet, sticking out from its body.” He got closer to her until their shoulders were touching. Slowly, Eva watched the stars come together and form the rabbit, sitting in the sky with its big yellow moon belly. She yawned.

“I’m more of a jellyfish person.”

Neil feigned a gasp. “So you’re part jellyfish and you never told me?” He melodramatically placed his hand to his forehead. “ _I thought we were partners~_ ”

Eva punched his arm lightly and ignored his remark. “They’re less complicated. Just floating nervous systems. No imaginary lines in the sky or anything.” Her words were more mumbled than spoken. 

“Yeah, but do jellyfish glow in the dark? I don’t think so, Eves.”

“Mm... sometimes.”

Eva hadn’t noticed how close they were, but she didn’t mind either way. Her head fell slowly onto his shoulder as she kept her gaze on the stars. The sleepiness was finally catching up to her after all the work from today. Neil looked back at his dozing partner—no, his friend—and grinned. They deserved a break, after all they’ve done. He let her rest like that as he watched the rabbit disappear. First the feet, then the head and its ears, until finally the dim moon was outshone by the dawn behind them. Neil was still wide awake, not feeling tired at all. He was quite used to sleeping less than four hours. 

With a small sigh, Neil carefully picked up Eva’s sleeping body and slid off the top of the car. After placing her in the passenger seat and taking the keys, he started the car and opened his phone. It was Saturday, June 16th, 6:23 A.M. If his memory was right, they weren’t scheduled for a client today. Or at least, they shouldn’t be. He could just call Roxie and ask her to fill in for them. He quickly opened his GPS and started a route to his apartment. It was better than sleeping in the company car, at least.

As he drove down the cliff, Neil looked to his left. Through the trees, he could see the faint beams of morning light. Bright orange, pure sunlight. So different than the softer shine of the moon. He glanced to his right. Eva was still fast asleep, but the sun glinted just right on her hair, coloring it a fine dark satin. The way it flickered and danced on her face was beautiful. Maybe sunlight wasn’t terrible. He supposed the sun was just another star, just super close and hot all the time. _So sunbathing is like stargazing but during daytime? No, that doesn’t sound right..._

 _Ba-bump!_ Neil snapped back into focus and tightened his grip on the wheel as he swerved back onto the gravel road. Oops. Luckily, Eva hadn’t woken up from that. He was sure she’d give him a stern glare if she had. He smiled at the thought. This time, he kept his eyes on the road. But whenever Neil looked over at her, his heart ached, feeling the unimaginable tenderness of the whole scene. The softness of the sunrise, the glowing of her hair, the way it framed her serene face. He thought of the words she said to him. ‘No, of course not... of course not.’ Gentle words. Kind. Neil felt warmed by the rays of the sun pouring in through his window. Maybe this is what trust felt like. Braving through the dark night by the light of the stars, and being greeted by the welcoming dawn. 

Neil took off his glasses.

Eva, half asleep, saw him do so, and smiled.

He trusted her.

**Author's Note:**

> aaah i had this idea for a day or so and finally wrote it all down!! i think it’s a bit on the long side, but i really like it. leave any feedback/comments/critiques please!!!! :)
> 
> EDIT: just realized neil didnt put his glasses back on after he fell asleep. fixed that!


End file.
